Creamy Chipotle Fish McWrap at McDonald’s

Creamy Chipotle Fish McWrap at McDonald's
Location
1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Websitehttps://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I’ve mentioned before that McWraps are easily the most boring thing on the McDonald’s menu.  So there’s a new McWrap.  It’s got chipotle in it.  Who cares?

But wait!  This one is available with either grilled chicken, crispy chicken, or… fish?  In a McWrap??  Well, that’s exciting (small print: it takes very little to get me excited.  This is not actually exciting).

Creamy Chipotle Fish McWrap at McDonald's

Here’s how McDonald’s describes this: “Made with crispy, flaky fish topped with creamy chipotle sauce, crispy tri-colour tortilla strips, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato and cucumbers. All wrapped in a soft white flour tortilla.”

This is definitely not the McWrap to change my mind about McWraps.  It’s very McWrap-y, which is to say it’s a bit dry and boring; it tastes like a perfunctory stab at “healthiness” from a chain that has no business being even remotely health-adjacent.

Creamy Chipotle Fish McWrap at McDonald's

The fish is interesting, but I guess there’s a reason why these types of wraps have chicken in them 99 percent of the time; it doesn’t quite work.  It’s not unpleasant, but it’s odd.  I missed the chicken (it didn’t help that the Filet-O-Fish patty had clearly been sitting out for some time; it was a bit dry).

Everything else is fine, with the veggies all being what you’d expect, and with the tortilla strips doing a decent job of adding some crunch.

The creamy chipotle sauce is the highlight.  It’s creamy, zesty, a little bit smoky, and actually has a mild spicy kick.  The wrap needed way more of it.  Give me a little tub of it so I can use it as a dip for fries.  It’s a really tasty sauce.

McVeggie at McDonald’s

McVeggie at McDonald's
Location
: 372 Main Street North, Brampton
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

McDonald’s recently announced that they’re testing a new veggie burger — the McVeggie — at various locations in Ontario, British Colombia and New Brunswick.  This includes locations in Brampton, and sure, I’ll drive over to Brampton to check that out.  I drove all the way to Woodstock the last time McDonald’s was testing a veggie burger, so I think it’s clear that I don’t value my time.

McVeggie at McDonald's

Unlike the last veggie burger, the P.L.T., which was made with Beyond Meat and kind of sucked, this one features a more traditional veggie patty.  Here’s how McDonald’s describes it: “The McVeggie features a breaded veggie patty made with a blend of vegetables (including carrots, green beans, zucchini, peas, soybeans, broccoli and corn) and seasoning, topped with shredded lettuce and mayo-style sauce served on a toasted sesame bun.”

Clearly, it’s popular, because the first location I went to was actually sold out.  Yes, I drove to multiple McDonald’s locations in Brampton to try this thing.  Did I mention that I don’t value my time?

McVeggie at McDonald's

They have a version that comes with spicy habanero sauce, but I figured I’d try the standard one.  It’s pretty good!  I should note that I got lucky and got one that was clearly fresh from the fryer (it was piping hot), so your mileage may vary, but I liked it more than I thought I would.

The patty has a pronounced crunchiness on the outside, and an interior that I wouldn’t describe as full-out mushy, but that’s fairly soft.  It might have come off as too soft, but the satisfying crunch of its exterior does a good job of balancing things out.

McVeggie at McDonald's

There are noticeable chunks of vegetables interspersed throughout, though they don’t add a whole lot to the burger’s texture or flavour.  It’s kinda falafel-esque, but with a much lighter flavour (the seasoning, in general, is fairly muted — don’t expect anything with much more punch than a McChicken).

The rest of it is basically a McChicken — same sauce, lettuce, and bun.  Overall, it’s nothing too mind-blowing, but it’s pretty satisfying.

Cheesy Jalapeno & Bacon Quarter Pounder from McDonald’s

Cheesy Jalapeno & Bacon Quarter Pounder from McDonald's
Location
: 25 The West Mall, Etobicoke
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

One thing I appreciate about McDonald’s versus most other fast joints: they aren’t shy with the sauce.  I think they’ve smartly realized that a fast food burger patty, on its own, kinda sucks.  It needs a bit of help to make up for the lack of moisture and flavour.

Which is to say that the new Cheesy Jalapeno & Bacon Quarter Pounder is saucy as hell (it was one of the messier burgers I’ve eaten in a while), and pretty decent.

Cheesy Jalapeno & Bacon Quarter Pounder from McDonald's

Here’s how McDonald’s describes it: “A quarter pound of 100% Canadian beef topped with a cheesy jalapeño sauce, hickory-smoked bacon, pickled jalapeños, ketchup, mustard and two slices of processed cheese served on a toasted sesame seed bun.”

It definitely lives up to its “Cheesy” moniker, with the two slices of cheese and the zippy cheese sauce being a tasty combo.  I wish they had skipped the ketchup, though, because it kinda overpowers the burger’s other flavours.

Cheesy Jalapeno & Bacon Quarter Pounder from McDonald's

As for it living up to the “Jalapeno” part of its name… not so much.  I think there were maybe two or three jalapeno slices in there?  And I guess the cheese sauce is technically jalapeno-flavoured, but the ketchup is really all you can taste.

The bacon is a nice addition (bacon is always welcome on a burger, for obvious reasons), but it gets a bit lost among the other ingredients.

McSpicy at McDonald’s

McSpicy at McDonald's
Location
1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Websitehttps://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

The McSpicy isn’t the most exciting new item at McDonald’s.  It’s basically a spicy McCrispy?  I don’t think the chicken patty is identical, but the flavour and texture of the breading is similar enough that if they had called this the Spicy McCrispy, no one would have batted an eye.

McSpicy at McDonald's

Here’s how McDonald’s describes it: “The McSpicy chicken sandwich brings the heat, made with 100% seasoned white meat chicken breast marinated, battered and breaded in a fiery seasoning blend. Enjoy this crispy delight topped with shredded lettuce and cooling mayo-style sauce, all in a toasted sesame seed bun.”

McSpicy at McDonald's

It’s not super exciting, but also: it’s pretty good.  Notably, the spice level is actually surprisingly pronounced.  No, it’s not going to blow your face off, but for something from a fast food joint, it’s got some heat.

McSpicy at McDonald's

And that spice actually does make a difference — it takes what would otherwise be a pretty ho-hum, vaguely dry fast food chicken sandwich and gives it a decent amount of personality.

Cajun Ranch McCrispy at McDonald’s

Cajun Ranch McCrispy at McDonald's
Location
1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Websitehttps://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I’ll admit that after the upsettingly bad Raptor Chicken Nacho Poutine, I thought, maybe I should give McDonald’s a break?  Maybe I don’t need to keep doing this to myself?

But no, I do need to keep doing this to myself.  I am compelled.  Maybe admitting I have a problem is the first step?

Cajun Ranch McCrispy at McDonald's

I actually enjoyed this one, though.  What do you know!

The Cajun Ranch McCrispy, per McDonald’s website: “A crispy chicken sandwich made with tender and juicy 100% Canadian-raised seasoned chicken, topped with shredded lettuce, red bell pepper crisps and creamy Cajun ranch sauce, all served on a toasted potato bun.”

Cajun Ranch McCrispy at McDonald's

I quite liked that Cajun ranch sauce.  It had the usual ranch flavour, but was also enjoyably zesty with a very, very mild spicy kick.  I’d buy a bottle of that stuff.

And the red bell pepper crisps were a nice touch.  They were basically like the crispy onions or crispy jalapenos that McDonald’s has used a few times before, but… with red bell peppers.  Little crispy fried bits are always going to be welcome on a sandwich.

Otherwise it’s a standard McCrispy, but that sauce actually does elevate it.